Galenorn, Yasmine 1961- (India Ink)

PERSONAL:

Name pronounced "yas-mihn, gal-ehnorn"; born January 17, 1961; surname legally changed; married second husband, Samwise Galenorn, May 1, 1993. Education: A.A., 1978; Evergreen State College, B.A., 1983. Religion: Paganism; follower of Mielikki, Tapio, and Pele. Hobbies and other interests: Cooking, collecting teapots and teacups, getting tattoos, reading, playing video games, spending time with her cats, music, theater, television, movies, cartoons.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Bellevue, WA. Agent—Meredith Bernstein, Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency, Inc., 2112 Broadway, Ste. 503A, New York, NY 10023. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Witch and priestess of Mielikki and Tapio; author. Has worked in data entry and as a transcriber for state government.

WRITINGS:

Trancing the Witch's Wheel: A Guide to Magickal Meditation, Llewellyn Publications (Saint Paul, MN), 1997.

Embracing the Moon: A Witch's Guide to Ritual Spellcraft and Shadow Work, Llewellyn Publications (St. Paul, MN), 1998.

Dancing with the Sun: Celebrating the Seasons of Life, Llewellyn Publications (St. Paul, MN), 1999.

Tarot Journeys: Adventures in Self-Transformation, Llewellyn Publications (St. Paul, MN), 1999.

Crafting the Body Divine: Ritual, Movement, and Body Art, Crossing Press (Freedom, CA), 2001.

Meditations on the Wheel of the Year, Crossing Press (Freedom, CA), 2002.

Magical Meditations: Guided Imagery for the Pagan Path, new edition, Crossing Press (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

Sexual Ecstasy & the Divine: The Passion & Pain of Our Bodies, Crossing Press (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

Totem Magic: Dance of the Shape-Shifter, Crossing Press (Berkeley, CA), 2004.

"CHINTZ 'N' CHINA" SERIES; NOVELS

Ghost of a Chance, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2003.

Legend of the Jade Dragon, Berkley (New York, NY), 2004.

Murder under a Mystic Moon, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2005.

A Harvest of Bones, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2005.

One Hex of a Wedding, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2006.

"SISTERS OF THE MOON" SERIES; NOVELS

Witchling, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2006.

Changeling, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2007.

Darkling, Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2007.

"BATH AND BODY" SERIES; NOVELS; UNDER PSEUDONYM INDIA INK

Scent to Her Grave, Berkley (New York, NY), 2005.

A Blush with Death, Berkley (New York, NY), 2006.

Glossed and Found, Berkley (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

A practicing witch, Yasmine Galenorn began her literary career by writing a number of books explaining aspects of her religion. More recently, she has written mystery novels that include the paranormal and, under the pen name India Ink, more straightforward mysteries that have just a hint of the paranormal to them. Becoming an author was a circuitous route for Galenorn, who only began to publish successfully after surviving a disastrous first marriage and then remarrying. Her first husband had beaten her and warned her not to try to be a writer; after she left him, she found spiritual satisfaction in writing again. "I knew that I had to get back to my words, I had to recover my sense of self as a writer or I'd go nuts," she explained in a Wiccan/Pagan Times interview. "I quit my job, sold and gave away almost everything I owned, moved into a converted school bus and began reading Tarot on a professional basis. This was in 1991."

Galenorn had been writing poems and short stories, and selling them to magazines, since she was in her twenties. After her divorce, and her move to a new home, she explored her religious feelings but struggled with getting back to writing. In 1993, a near-death experience caused her to renew her resolve. "I examined my life, asked myself, ‘If I had died tonight, what would I most regret?’ The answer was: ‘That I've not published a book, that I've not used my talents to their fullest.’ And that spurred me on. I've never forgotten that lesson, it taught me discipline and it taught me the value of time and the value of action. So I continued to write."

After publishing a number of nonfiction works on Tarot reading, meditation, spellcraft, and similar subjects, Galenorn explored fiction. She began with the "Chintz 'n' China" books, a paranormal mystery series featuring Emerald O'Brien. Emerald learned from her grandmother how to communicate with the dead and use charms, both of which come in handy when solving murders, especially since the victims can communicate with her. Jennifer Monahan Winberry in Mystery Reader, called the first installment, Ghost of a Chance, "a charming first mystery." Although the critic warned that there is more than the typical amount of sex here for a cozy mystery, she concluded that the book is a "worthy addition to the ranks of amateur sleuths and the northwest setting makes it the perfect book to curl up with a cup of tea." Similar praise came for other novels in the series. For instance, Harriet Klausner reviewed Legend of the Jade Dragon in Best Reviews, stating that Galenorn offers a "quirky and delightful amateur sleuth tale that includes interwoven paranormal elements that enhance not overwhelm the plot." Klausner also called A Harvest of Bones "a highly original paranormal mystery with a touch of romance."

Galenorn is also the author of the "Sisters of the Moon" fantasies, which feature three unusual heroines. One is a vampire, one a werecat, and the third is a witch. The three sisters are half human and half Faerie. Camille, a good witch, narrates the first story as she works in a bookstore as an operative from the land of Faerie's Otherworld Intelligence Agency. When evil is afoot, she and her sisters are on the case to defeat murderous demons and other wicked creatures. "Galenorn's gallery of rogues is an imaginative delight, each species and personality carefully crafted," remarked a Publishers Weekly critic of Witchling. Changeling is narrated by Delilah, the werecat, who tells a "moving tale" laced with "quirky humor" about a person trying to find where she fits in the world, according to Nina C. Davis in Booklist. The last book, Darkling, is about the vampire sister Menolly.

With the "Bath and Body" series, Galenorn ventures more into the mainstream and also writes under a pseudonym: India Ink. The heroine of these tales is Persia Rose Vanderbilt, who runs a bath and beauty shop and whose unique gift is her extraordinarily enhanced sense of smell. She also has "an awareness of the natural elements that border on the magical," the author explained in a Rose and Thorn interview with Monica Killian. "I'm very proud of my ‘Bath and Body’ series and I do a good job on the novels, but the series just doesn't satisfy that need for writing about the paranormal/supernatural side of life," Galenorn admitted in a Paranormality interview with Lynda Hilburn. When Hilburn asked Galenorn why she prefers the paranormal mysteries, the author said: "To me, the supernatural, or paranormal, is a part of life, not just a part of fiction. Fantasy takes some of the situations/beliefs to the extreme, but I firmly believe there are far more aspects to life than we can see or touch and my characters explore the possibilities (even those vastly improbable possibilities) in ways that we may not be able to."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2006, Nina C. Davis, review of Witchling, p. 40; May 15, 2007, Nina C. Davis, review of Changeling, p. 26.

Publishers Weekly, August 15, 2005, review of Scent to Her Grave, p. 39; September 4, 2006, review of Witchling, p. 44.

ONLINE

Best Reviews,http://www.thebestreviews.com/ (July 13, 2003), Harriet Klausner, review of Ghost of a Chance; (April 22, 2004), Harriet Klausner, review of Legend of the Jade Dragon; (November 29, 2004), Harriet Klausner, review of Murder under a Mystic Moon; (January 10, 2005), Margaret Ohmes, review of Murder under a Mystic Moon; (November 15, 2005), Harriet Klausner, review of A Harvest of Bones; (January 16, 2006), Judith Saul, review of A Harvest of Bones; (September 26, 2006), Harriet Klausner, review of Witchling; (May 29, 2007), Harriet Klausner, review of Changeling.

BookLoons,http://www.bookloons.com/ (October 1, 2006), Ricki Marking-Camuto, interview with Yasmine Galenorn, review of Witchling.

Mystery Reader,http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (July 16, 2007), Jennifer Monahan Winberry, review of Ghost of a Chance.

Paranormality Blog,http://paranormalityuniverse.com/blogspot.com/ (October 4, 2006), Lynda Hilburn, "First Sale Stories: Yasmine Galenorn, ‘Ghost of a Chance,’ ‘Witchling.’"

Romance Reviews Today,http://www.romrevtoday.com/ (January 20, 2006), Terrie Figueroa, "Interview with Yasmine Galenorn."

Rose and Thorn e-Zine,http://www.theroseandthornezine.com/ (July 16, 2007), Monica Killian, "Author Interview: Yasmine Galenorn."

Vampire Genre,http://www.vampiregenre.com/ (July 2, 2007), Vicky London, review of Changeling.

Wiccan/Pagan Times Online,http://www.twpt.com/ (July 16, 2007), "Dancing with the Sun: TWPT Talks with Yasmine Galenorn."

Yasmine Galenorn Home Page,http://www.galenorn.com (July 16, 2007).

Yasmine Galenorn Web Log,http://yasmine-galenorn.blogspot.com (July 16, 2007).